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Loading ...Mexican Consumer Group Demands Vehicle Efficiency Labeling / Los consumidores mexicanos exigen etiquetado de eficiencia y de las emisiones de los vehículos
Wednesday, January 14th, 2009Synopsis in English: A Mexican consumer group, The Power of the Consumer (El Poder del Consumidor – EPC) is calling upon automobile manufacturers to label all new vehicles sold in Mexico regarding their fuel efficiency [kilometers (km) per liter consumed] and greenhouse gas emissions [primarily grams of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted per km], similar to […]
Mexico Launches Massive Refrigerator, Air Conditioner Exchange Program
Sunday, January 11th, 2009Mexico is joining Brazil and Colombia in launching programs to get citizens to hand in their old appliances for newer, more efficient models. President Calderón and Mexico’s Energy Secretariat (SENER) have announced a 750 million peso expansion of its Ahorra Energía para Vivir Mejor (“Save Energy to Liver Better”) pilot program which it has run […]
The CEC’s “Annotated Bibliography” on Environmental Impacts of Biofuels
Sunday, October 5th, 2008Normally I would not stick an annotated bibliography in the Temas Recommended Reading List, much less do a review of the “bibliography.” But the North American Commission on Environmental Cooperation (CEC) recently released an “Annotated Bibliography on the Environmental Effects of Biofuels” that I find a bit unusual and noteworthy. It’s more like a review […]
CO2 Emission Labels for Vehicles
Sunday, August 3rd, 2008Chile may become the first Latin American or Caribbean (LAC) nation to require cars to bear labels about their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Several European nations already require such labeling, and a regulatory agency recently proposed a unique GHG emission label for cars sold in California. The lower house of Chile’s legislature, the Chamber of […]
The Challenge of Land Degradation / El desafio de la degradación del suelo
Tuesday, July 8th, 2008I must admit that, just as was the case with deforestation, in the past I paid very little attention to the issue of land degradation. I won’t bore you with the explanations and excuses as to why, just suffice it to say that it was not high enough on my list of priority environment issues. […]
Gas Flaring, LAC & Climate Change
Thursday, October 4th, 2007Take a look at the two images to the right. The first is of an offshore platform flaring gas. The second (click to enlarge) is a computer-enhanced satellite photo of gas flaring off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago. Yes, if you use the right technique, you now can document flaring from space. Why is […]
Are Biodegradable Plastic Bags Really Better?
Saturday, September 22nd, 2007In my rant last June about unnecessary plastic wrap being praised by Chile’s Environment Minister simply because it is “biodegradable,” I promised a guest post from an expert who can explain better than I can the debate over whether “biodegradable” plastic bags are really a substantial improvement over conventional plastic bags. I’m happy to publish […]
Aluminum Recycling Reconsidered
Wednesday, August 29th, 2007A Sixth Year as Aluminum Can Recycling Champion The Brazilian Aluminum Association (ABAL) recently announced that Brazil recycled 139,100 metric tons (Mt) of aluminum cans (about 10.3 billion cans) in 2006 for a recycling rate of 94.4%, assuring the first-place position for Brazil for the sixth year in a row, ahead of Argentina, Japan, Switzerland, […]
Colombia’s First Official Carbon Sequestration Through Reforestation Project
Friday, June 29th, 2007Synopsis in English: Last week the Environment Ministry approved the first officially sanctioned reforestation project aimed at capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) as a clean development mechanism (CDM) project under the Kyoto Protocol. The project involves 15,000 hectares in the Chinchina River Basin in the department (similar to a state or province) of Caldas. The project […]
“Up in Smoke” PostScript: Related Materials on Climate Change and LAC
Saturday, September 30th, 2006It’s been suggested to me to post some recommendations for follow-up reading and resources related to the review I did on the “Up in Smoke” report on probable impact of global climate change on Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). I’m a bit hesitant to do so because I don’t consider myself to be an […]